The Edo Development and Property Authority (EDPA) will from ending of this month embark on re-certification and rent recovery exercise of residents in its estates across the state. In a statement, the Executive Chairman, EDPA, Isoken Omo, said the exercise, which is expected to last for eight weeks, will target homeowners and estate residents.

She said: “It has been observed that over time, a lot of issues such as illegal occupation, illegal construction, severe property neglect, huge arrears of ground rent, service charge and shop rent and squatters have been prevalent in the estates. There is an urgent need to curb this trend and set the pace for the future of our estates”.

She noted that the exercise will enable her team collect relevant data that would guide EDPA’s forthcoming programmes in the estates adding that the authority has engaged the Residents Associations, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Edo State Geographic Information System (EDOGIS), Security Services and other stakeholders to sensitise them about the proposed exercise.

“It is hoped that at the end of the exercise, we would have a complete database of the genuine owners/occupants and be able to issue Deeds of Sublease to the qualifying residents”, she said.

She enjoined residents to provide means of identification, which include any of Driver’s Licence, Voter’s Card, International Passport or National ID Card, proof of purchase/ownership, proof of payment of mortgage, ground rent or monthly salary deductions, evidence of approval for alterations and developments as the case maybe.